Freight car bulkhead



Sept; 16, 1941. A. MCEWEN 2,256,054

FREIGHT CAR BULKHEAD Filed Feb. 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l abhor/war- Sept. 16, 1941. A. M EWEN FREIGHT CAR BULKHEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1941 Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,256,054 FREIGHT can BULKHEAD Alva Mc'Ewen, Mc'Comb, Miss. Application February 24, 1941, Serial No. 380,351

3 Claims.

in the course of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical cross section through a freight car showing the improved bulkheads in operative position.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detail cross section showing the means for securing the free end of the pivoted supporting member and is taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail cross section showing the means for securing the free end of the pivoted supporting member when not in use and is taken on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail cross section showing the means for pivoting the pivoted supporting member and is taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the supporting shelves.

Referring to the drawings, the car door is indicated at I and the car ceiling at 2. A supporting member 3 herein shown as a rectangular plate is pivoted by one corner to one side of the car door as by a riveted stud 4 having an enlarged head fitted over a plate 5 secured to the car Wall. On the diagonally opposed corner of plate 3 is a similarly riveted and headed pin 6 adapted to engage a keyhole slot 1 in a plate 8 secured to the car wall adjacent the opposite side of the doorway. The plate 3 is provided with two spaced series of keyhole slots 9 extending longitudinally of the plate substantially the width of the door to rovide means for selectively positioning the bulkheads.

Two bulkheads are in use "with each car and each of these bulkheads is formed with vertical end members [4 and horizontally disposed top and bottom members l5 and an offset medial horizontal member l6 which is preferably stayed by a vertical medial member ll.

On one end of each bulkhead are welded or otherwise secured two spaced pins l8 having enlarged heads on their outer ends, these pins being adapted to selectively engage keyhole slots 9 in one of the pivoted supporting members 3. On the opposite end of each bulkhead double headed pins I9 are slidably mounted in lugs 20 welded or otherwise secured to the vertical member which slidab'le pins may be engaged selectively with keyhole slots in the opposite supporting member so that each of the two bulkheads may be selectively positioned transversely of the freight car adjacent its opposed doors to maintain a free passage between the load in either end of the car.

When the bulkheads are not in use the pivoted members 3 may be swung to a vertical position in which the securing pin 6 will be received in orifice ll of a plate In suitably positioned on the car wall and the member 3 held in this position by a latch member l3 adapted to engage'its upper end.

To conveniently store the bulkheads when not in use, each bulkhead is attached by the upper ends of its vertical end members to chains 21, the upper links of which are slidable on a rod 22 extending longitudinally of the car, one on each side, the rods 22 being medially supported by suitable brackets 23 and having their ends supported by the end members 24 of the shelves 25 positioned one on each side of the doorway and on each side of the car. Each of the shelves 25, as illustrated in Fig. 6, has one end bent upwardly to form an end member and its other end bent slightly downward to form a slide, as at 26. It is bent l n it dinally to form a bracket 21, which can be secured to the car wall. A longitudinal slot 29 is cut in each shelf 25 substantially at the junction of the shelf proper with the slide 26 through which projects a latch finger 30 formed at the end of a rod 3| rotatably secured to the bottom face of the shelf by a lug 32 and having its other end bent downwardly into a handle 33. The weight of the handle 33 operates to normally maintain the latch finger 30 in vertical latching position.

When not in use the bulkheads are rotated the chains are wound around the bulkheads.

This is continued to the height of the ceiling and the bulkheads are then slid onto opposed shelves 25 where they are securely held by latch fingers 30. When the chains are thus wound around the bulkheads, the upper links slide upon the rods 22 and act as guides to properly position the leading edge of the bulkhead asit is placed upon the shelf. Similarly when not in use the pivoted supporting members 3 are swung to their vertical position on one side of the doorway and there secured by latches l3. 7 1

When the car is substantially loaded and it is desired to position the bulkheads, they Wilhb slid off of their shelves and lowered to the position indicated in Fig. 1. The pivoted supporting members will be rocked from their'verticallposi; tion to a horizontal position and there secured by the latch plates 8 and the bulkheadswill then be selectively positioned with the headed pins 18 and 2D engaging selected keyhole slots in the opposed supporting membersithus rigidly securing the bulkheads in vertical position inthe' exact position desired. l a.

Various modifications in the precise construction of the device will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the artbut within the scope of the present invention as'claimed- Having thus fully described my invention, I claim: "I v 1. In combination with a freight car and removable bulkheads, shelves adjacent the ceiling of the car and on opposite sides thereof, guiding means above and substantially parallel with each shelf, flexible suspending elements connecting the'ends of the bulkheads with the guiding means and adapting the bulkheads to be raised and lowered and the effective lengths of the flexible elements to be varied by rotating the bulkheads to wind the flexible elements thereon or unwind "the same therefrom, whereby when the bulkheads are rotated to reduce the effective lengths of the flexible elements so that the bulkheads are disposed adjacent the shelves the bulkheads may be guided into and out of en 'gagement with theshelves by movement of the flexible elements on the guiding means, and

latch means carried by each shelf to retain the bulkheads thereon.

2. In combination with a freight car and re movable bulkheads, shelves adjacent the ceiling of the car and on opposite sides thereof, guide rods above and substantially parallel with each shelf, and flexible suspending elements each having one end fastened to one side of the bulkhead and its opposite end slidable on one of said guide rods, and adapting the bulkheads to be raised and lowered and the effective lengths of the flexible elements to be varied by rotating the bulkheads to wind the flexible elements thereon or unwind the same therefrom, whereby when the bulkheads are rotated to reduce the effective lengths of the flexible elements so that the bulkheads are disposed adjacent the shelves the bulkheadsmay be guided into and out of engagement with the shelves by movement of the flexible elements on the guiding means.

3. In combination with a freight car, shelves mounted adjacent the'ceiling of the car and on opposite sides thereof, bulkheads adapted to be disposed in operative position within the lower portion of the car and to be raised out of operative position within the lower portion of the car and to be raised out of operative position and supported when out of use on the shelves, guiding means extending substantially parallel with each shelf, and flexible suspending elements connecting the ends of the bulkheads with the guiding means, adapting the bulkheads to be rotated to wind the flexible elements thereon or unwind the same therefrom to decrease or increase the effective lengths of the flexible elements and thereby raise or lower the bulkheads into the car, whereby when the bulkheads are rotated to wind the flexible elements thereon to reduce the free length of said elementsso that one edge of each bulkhead is disposed adjacent the shelves said bulkheads may be guided in movement relative to the shelves by the'flexibleelements and guiding means, and

means for holding the bulkheads in supported position and against displacement from the shelves.

ALVA MCEWEN. 

